Lew worried Congress debt limit wrangling could cause 'accident'

WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack
Lew said on Wednesday he is worried that brinkmanship in
Congress on raising the nation's debt limit could cause an
"accident" as the United States edges closer toward default.

Speaking at a policy conference in Washington, Lew also said
the risk of an unforeseen circumstance would rise if Congress
did not act in time, adding that the debt limit issue should not
be used as a weapon in negotiations on a separate budget deal.

The United States is currently scraping just under its $18
trillion legal debt cap and the Treasury Department expects to
exhaust its borrowing authority by Nov. 3.
(Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Paul Simao)